The Heilig-Geist-Spital (English: Holy Spirit Hospital) in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

was the largest hospital in the former

Free Imperial City of Nuremberg The Imperial City of Nuremberg (german: Reichsstadt Nürnberg) was a free imperial city — independent city-state — within the Holy Roman Empire. After Nuremberg gained piecemeal independence from the Burgraviate of Nuremberg in the High Mid ...

. It was used as a hospital and nursing home. Its chapel was also the depository of the

Imperial Regalia The Imperial Regalia, also called Imperial Insignia (in German ''Reichskleinodien'', ''Reichsinsignien'' or ''Reichsschatz''), are regalia of the Holy Roman Emperor. The most important parts are the Crown, the Imperial orb, the Imperial sce ...

, the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, between 1424 and 1796. The regalia, among them the

Holy Lance The Holy Lance, also known as the Lance of Longinus (named after Saint Longinus), the Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Spear, is the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross during his crucifixion. Biblical references The l ...

, were shown to believers once a year in a so-called ''Heiltumsweisung'' (worship show) on the fourteenth day after

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

. For coronations they were brought to

Frankfurt Cathedral Frankfurt Cathedral (german: link=no, Frankfurter Dom), officially Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew (german: link=no, Kaiserdom Sankt Bartholomäus) is a Roman Catholic Gothic church located in the heart of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It ...

. The hospital was partly built over the Pegnitz river. It now serves as a restaurant and senior home. Aerial_Nuremberg_Heilig-Geist-Spital

History

The Heilig-Geist-Spital was built in 1339 by

Konrad Gross Konrad is a German (with variants ''Kunz'' and ''Kunze'') given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to: People Given name Surname *Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer *Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth name o ...

to care for ill, elderly and poor people.

Ulrich Knefelkamp Ulrich (), is a German given name, derived from Old High German ''Uodalrich'', ''Odalric''. It is composed of the elements ''Othala rune, uodal-'' meaning "(noble) heritage" and ''-rich'' meaning "rich, powerful". Attested from the 8th century as th ...

: ''Über die Pflege und medizinische Behandlung von Kranken in Spitälern vom 14. bis 16. Jahrhundert.'' In:

Michael Matheus Michael Matheus (born 27 March 1953, in Graach) is a German historian. Life Michael Matheus graduated from the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium (Trier) in 1971. He studied history, political science and German at the universities of Trier, Bonn an ...

(Hrsg.): ''Funktions- und Strukturwandel spätmittelalterlicher Hospitäler im europäischen Vergleich.'' Stuttgart 2005 (= ''Geschichtliche Landeskunde.'' Band 56), S. 175–194, hier: S. 187.

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Nuremberg Defunct hospitals in Germany 1330s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire